Cambridge Primary Cambridge

Science Curriculum Framework Primary

 Contents Introduction

Stage 1 .....................................................................................................1 Welcome to the Cambridge Primary Science curriculum framework.

Stage 2 .....................................................................................................3 This framework provides a comprehensive set of progressive learning

objectives for science. The objectives detail what the learner should
Stage 3 .....................................................................................................5 know or what they should be able to do in science in each year of
primary education. They provide a structure for teaching and learning
Stage 4 .....................................................................................................7 and a reference against which learners’ ability and understanding can be
checked.
Stage 5 .....................................................................................................9
The Cambridge Primary Science curriculum is presented in four content
Stage 6 ................................................................................................... 12 areas: Scientific enquiry, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Scientific
enquiry is about considering ideas, evaluating evidence, planning
investigative work and recording and analysing data. The Scientific
enquiry objectives underpin Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which are
focused on developing confidence and interest in scientific knowledge.
Environmental awareness and some history of science are also
incorporated. The Cambridge Primary Science curriculum framework
provides a solid foundation upon which the later stages of education can
be built.

The Cambridge Curriculum is founded on the values of the University

of Cambridge and best practice in schools. The curriculum is dedicated
to developing learners who are confident, responsible, innovative and
engaged. Each curriculum framework for English, mathematics and
science is designed to engage learners in an active and creative learning
journey.

b Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

Stage 1

Stage 1
Scientific enquiry Biology
Ideas and evidence Plants

• Try to answer questions by collecting evidence through observation. • Know that plants are living things.

Plan investigative work • Know that there are living things and things that have never been
alive.
• Ask questions and contribute to discussions about how to seek
answers. • Explore ways that different animals and plants inhabit local
environments.
• Make predictions.
• Name the major parts of a plant, looking at real plants and models.
• Decide what to do to try to answer a science question.
• Know that plants need light and water to grow.
Obtain and present evidence
• Explore how seeds grow into flowering plants.
• Explore and observe in order to collect evidence (measurements and
observations) to answer questions. Humans and animals

• Suggest ideas and follow instructions. • Recognise the similarities and differences between each other.

• Record stages in work. • Recognise and name the main external parts of the body.

Consider evidence and approach • Know about the need for a healthy diet, including the right types of
food and water.
• Make comparisons.
• Explore how senses enable humans and animals to be aware of the
• Compare what happened with predictions. world around them.
• Model and communicate ideas in order to share, explain and develop • Know that humans and animals produce offspring which grow into
them. adults.

Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011) 1

 Stage 1
Stage 1

Chemistry
Material properties

• Use senses to explore and talk about different materials.

• Identify the characteristics of different materials.

• Recognise and name common materials.

• Sort objects into groups based on the properties of their materials.

Physics
Forces

• Explore, talk about and describe the movement of familiar things.

• Recognise that both pushes and pulls are forces.

• Recognise that when things speed up, slow down or change

direction there is a cause.

Sound

• Identify many sources of sound.

• Know that we hear when sound enters our ear.

• Recognise that as sound travels from a source it becomes fainter.

2 Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

Stage 2

Scientific enquiry Consider evidence and approach

Ideas and evidence • Make comparisons.

Stage 2
• Collect evidence by making observations when trying to answer a • Identify simple patterns and associations.
science question. • Talk about predictions (orally and in text), the outcome and why this
• Use first hand experience, e.g. observe melting ice. happened.

• Use simple information sources. • Review and explain what happened.

Plan investigative work

Biology
• Ask questions and suggest ways to answer them.
Living things in their environment
• Predict what will happen before deciding what to do.
• Identify similarities and differences between local environments and
• Recognise that a test or comparison may be unfair.
know about some of the ways in which these affect the animals and
Obtain and present evidence plants that are found there.

• Make suggestions for collecting evidence. • Understand ways to care for the environment. Secondary sources
can be used.
• Talk about risks and how to avoid danger.
• Observe and talk about their observation of the weather, recording
• Make and record observations. reports of weather data.
• Take simple measurements.

• Use a variety of ways to tell others what happened.

Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011) 3

 Stage 2

Chemistry The Earth and beyond

Material properties • Explore how the sun appears to move during the day and how
shadows change.
Stage 2

• Recognise some types of rocks and the uses of different rocks.

• Model how the spin of the Earth leads to day and night, e.g. with
• Know that some materials occur naturally and others are man-made. different sized balls and a torch.

Material changes

• Know how the shapes of some materials can be changed by

squashing, bending, twisting and/or stretching.

• Explore and describe the way some everyday materials change when
they are heated or cooled.

• Recognise that some materials can dissolve in water.

Physics
Light and dark

• Identify different light sources including the sun.

• Know that darkness is the absence of light.

• Be able to identify shadows.

Electricity

• Recognise the components of simple circuits involving cells

(batteries).

• Know how a switch can be used to break a circuit.

4 Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

Stage 3

Scientific enquiry Biology

Ideas and evidence Plants

• Collect evidence in a variety of contexts to answer questions or test • Know that plants have roots, leaves, stems and flowers.
ideas.
• Explain observations that plants need water and light to grow.
Plan investigative work
• Know that water is taken in through the roots and transported
• Suggest ideas, make predictions and communicate these. through the stem.

Stage 3
• With help, think about collecting evidence and planning fair tests. • Know that plants need healthy roots, leaves and stems to grow well.

Obtain and present evidence • Know that plant growth is affected by temperature.

• Observe and compare objects, living things and events. Humans and animals

• Measure using simple equipment and record observations in a • Know life processes common to humans and animals include
variety of ways. nutrition (water and food), movement, growth and reproduction.

• Present results in drawings, bar charts and tables. • Describe differences between living and non-living things using
knowledge of life processes.
Consider evidence and approach
• Explore and research exercise and the adequate, varied diet needed
• Draw conclusions from results and begin to use scientific knowledge to keep healthy.
to suggest explanations.
• Know that some foods can be damaging to health, e.g. very sweet
• Make generalisations and begin to identify simple patterns in results. and fatty foods.

• Explore human senses and the ways we use them to learn about our
world.

• Sort living things into groups, using simple features and describe
rationale for groupings.

Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011) 5

 Stage 3

Chemistry
Material properties

• Know that every material has specific properties, e.g. hard, soft,
shiny.

• Sort materials according to their properties.

• Explore how some materials are magnetic but many are not.
Stage 3

• Discuss why materials are chosen for specific purposes on the basis
of their properties.

Physics
Forces and motion

• Know that pushes and pulls are examples of forces and that they can
be measured with forcemeters.

• Explore how forces can make objects start or stop moving.

• Explore how forces can change the shape of objects.

• Explore how forces, including friction, can make objects move faster
or slower or change direction.

6 Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

Stage 4

Scientific enquiry Consider evidence and approach

Ideas and evidence • Identify simple trends and patterns in results and suggest
explanations for some of these.
• Collect evidence in a variety of contexts.
• Explain what the evidence shows and whether it supports
• Test an idea or prediction based on scientific knowledge and predictions. Communicate this clearly to others.
understanding.
• Link evidence to scientific knowledge and understanding in some
Plan investigative work contexts.

• Suggest questions that can be tested and make predictions;

communicate these.
Biology
• Design a fair test and plan how to collect sufficient evidence.
Humans and animals

Stage 4
• Choose apparatus and decide what to measure.
• Know that humans (and some animals) have bony skeletons inside
Obtain and present evidence their bodies.

• Make relevant observations and comparisons in a variety of contexts. • Know how skeletons grow as humans grow, support and protect the
body.
• Measure temperature, time, force and length.
• Know that animals with skeletons have muscles attached to the
• Begin to think about the need for repeated measurements of, bones.
for example, length.
• Know how a muscle has to contract (shorten) to make a bone move
• Present results in drawings, bar charts and tables. and muscles act in pairs.

• Explain the role of drugs as medicines.

Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011) 7

 Stage 4

Biology (continued) Physics

Living things in their environment Sound

• Investigate how different animals are found in different habitats and • Explore how sounds are made when objects, materials or air vibrate
are suited to the environment in which they are found. and learn to measure the volume of sound in decibels with a sound
level meter.
• Use simple identification keys.
• Investigate how sound travels through different materials to the ear.
• Recognise ways that human activity affects the environment
e.g. river pollution, recycling waste. • Investigate how some materials are effective in preventing sound
from travelling through them.

Chemistry • Investigate the way pitch describes how high or low a sound is and
that high and low sounds can be loud or soft. Secondary sources
States of matter can be used.
Stage 4

• Know that matter can be solid, liquid or gas. • Explore how pitch can be changed in musical instruments in a range
of ways.
• Investigate how materials change when they are heated and cooled.
Electricity and magnetism
• Know that melting is when a solid turns into a liquid and is the
reverse of freezing. • Construct complete circuits using switch, cell (battery), wire and
lamps.
• Observe how water turns into steam when it is heated but on
cooling the steam turns back into water. • Explore how an electrical device will not work if there is a break in
the circuit.

• Know that electrical current flows and that models can describe this
flow, e.g. particles travelling around a circuit.

• Explore the forces between magnets and know that magnets can
attract or repel each other.

• Know that magnets attract some metals but not others.

8 Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

Stage 5

Scientific enquiry Consider evidence and approach

Ideas and evidence • Decide whether results support predictions.

• Know that scientists have combined evidence with creative thinking • Begin to evaluate repeated results.
to suggest new ideas and explanations for phenomena. • Recognise and make predictions from patterns in data and suggest
• Use observation and measurement to test predictions and make explanations using scientific knowledge and understanding.
links. • Interpret data and think about whether it is sufficient to draw
Plan investigative work conclusions.

• Make predictions of what will happen based on scientific knowledge

and understanding, and suggest and communicate how to test Biology
these.
Plants
• Use knowledge and understanding to plan how to carry out a fair
test. • Know that plants need energy from light for growth.

• Collect sufficient evidence to test an idea. • Know that plants reproduce.

• Identify factors that need to be taken into account in different • Observe how seeds can be dispersed in a variety of ways.

Stage 5
contexts.
• Investigate how seeds need water and warmth for germination, but
Obtain and present evidence not light.

• Make relevant observations. • Know that insects pollinate some flowers.

• Measure volume, temperature, time, length and force. • Observe that plants produce flowers which have male and female
organs; seeds are formed when pollen from the male organ fertilises
• Discuss the need for repeated observations and measurements. the ovum (female).

• Present results in bar charts and line graphs. • Recognise that flowering plants have a life cycle including pollination,
fertilisation, seed production, seed dispersal and germination.

Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011) 9

 Stage 5

Chemistry Physics
States of matter Light

• Know that evaporation occurs when a liquid turns into a gas. • Observe that shadows are formed when light travelling from a
source is blocked.
• Know that condensation occurs when a gas turns into a liquid and
that it is the reverse of evaporation. • Investigate how the size of a shadow is affected by the position of
the object.
• Know that air contains water vapour and when this meets a cold
surface it may condense. • Observe that shadows change in length and position throughout the
day.
• Know that the boiling point of water is 100°C and the melting point of
ice is 0°C. • Know that light intensity can be measured.

• Know that when a liquid evaporates from a solution the solid is left • Explore how opaque materials do not let light through and
behind. transparent materials let a lot of light through.

• Know that we see light sources because light from the source enters
our eyes.

• Know that beams/rays of light can be reflected by surfaces including

Stage 5

mirrors, and when reflected light enters our eyes we see the object.

• Explore why a beam of light changes direction when it is reflected

from a surface.

10 Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

Stage 5

Physics (continued)
The Earth and beyond

• Explore, through modeling, that the sun does not move; its apparent
movement is caused by the Earth spinning on its axis.

• Know that the Earth spins on its axis once in every 24 hours.

• Know that the Earth takes a year to orbit the sun, spinning as it goes.

• Research the lives and discoveries of scientists who explored the

solar system and stars.

Stage 5
Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011) 11
 Stage 6

Scientific enquiry Consider evidence and approach

Ideas and evidence • Make comparisons.

• Consider how scientists have combined evidence from observation • Evaluate repeated results.
and measurement with creative thinking to suggest new ideas and • Identify patterns in results and results that do not appear to fit the
explanations for phenomena. pattern.
• Collect evidence and data to test ideas including predictions. • Use results to draw conclusions and to make further predictions.
Plan investigative work • Suggest and evaluate explanations for predictions using scientific
• Discuss how to turn ideas into a form that can be tested. knowledge and understanding and communicate these clearly to
others.
• Make predictions using scientific knowledge and understanding.
• Say if and how evidence supports any prediction made.
• Choose what evidence to collect to investigate a question, ensuring
that the evidence is sufficient.

• Identify factors that are relevant to a particular situation.

• Choose which equipment to use.

Obtain and present evidence

• Make a variety of relevant observations and measurements using

simple apparatus correctly.

• Decide when observations and measurements need to be checked

Stage 6

by repeating to give more reliable data.

• Use tables, bar charts and line graphs to present results.

12 Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

Stage 6

Biology Chemistry
Humans and animals Material changes

• Use scientific names for some major organs of body systems. • Distinguish between reversible and irreversible changes.

• Identify the position of major organs in the body. • Explore how solids can be mixed and how it is often possible to
separate them again.
• Describe the main functions of the major organs of the body.
• Observe, describe, record and begin to explain changes that occur
• Explain how the functions of the major organs are essential. when some solids are added to water.
Living things in their environment • Explore how, when solids do not dissolve or react with water, they
• Explore how humans have positive and negative effects on the can be separated by filtering, which is similar to sieving.
environment, e.g. loss of species, protection of habitats. • Explore how some solids dissolve in water to form solutions and,
• Explore a number of ways of caring for the environment, although the solid cannot be seen, the substance is still present.
e.g. recycling, reducing waste, reducing energy consumption,
not littering, encouraging others to care for the environment.

• Know how food chains can be used to represent feeding

relationships in a habitat and present these in text and diagrams.

• Know that food chains begin with a plant (the producer), which uses
energy from the sun.

• Understand the terms producer, consumer, predator and prey.

Stage 6
• Explore and construct food chains in a particular habitat.

Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011) 13

 Stage 6

Physics
Forces and motion

• Distinguish between mass measured in kilograms (kg) and weight

measured in Newtons, noting that kilograms are used in everyday
life.

• Recognise and use units of force, mass and weight and identify the
direction in which forces act.

• Understand the notion of energy in movement.

• Recognise friction (including air resistance) as a force which can

affect the speed at which objects move and which sometimes stops
things moving.

Electricity and magnetism

• Investigate how some materials are better conductors of electricity

than others.

• Investigate how some metals are good conductors of electricity

while most other materials are not.

• Know why metals are used for cables and wires and why plastics are
used to cover wires and as covers for plugs and switches.
Stage 6

• Predict and test the effects of making changes to circuits, including

length or thickness of wire and the number and type of components.

• Represent series circuits with drawings and conventional symbols.

14 Cambridge Primary Science Curriculum Framework (for use from 2011)

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